The Setting Sun
by Lordoftheringschick2000
Summary: This quest was Sansa's last hope in finding her missing brother. Yes, it would involve orcs, trolls, goblins, and not to mention a fire-breathing dragon. But it was risk she was willing to take to put her family back together again. Fili/OC
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I own nothing but Sansa and her family. _

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><p><em>Always remember to breathe, Sansa. You'll earn yourself an early grave if you keep on<em>

Sansa exhaled as her pony, Rose, trotted through the pebbled paths of the Shire. Her blue eyes roamed to the beautiful scenery that almost left her breathless. Trees as green as can be paved the sides of the roads as flowers of various bright colors illuminated the pathway. An ocean of green could be seen in the as far as can be. The laughter of running children filled the air.

_This is what peace must look like, _the female dwarf thought to herself as a twinge of envy made its way into her heart. This is how true and honest serenity must present itself. Yes, her home in the Blue Mountains was very peaceful. However, it was not always the safest, especially as of late. Orc attacks were growing and becoming more common, as was the newfound boldness of trolls and mountain goblins. Dwarves had started to leave their home armed and ready on an everyday basis. Her mother took her ax with her everyday to the marketplace. Her father never stepped foot outside their home without some sort of new sword he cooked in his forge. To make things simple, nowadays dwarves always had to be prepared for the worst. The Blue Mountains were starting to feel more like battle grounds rather than home.

Sansa continued to glance around at the inhabitants of the Shire . Short and stout creatures these hobbits were. The short barefoot creatures moved around with ease and informality. No weapons graced their hands or hips. Instead, the females held baskets of either clothing or food against their dress-clad bodies.. The males were almost the same. The children ran carefree as their mothers' laughed with each other about the energy of their younglings. War was the last thing on their mind.

Sansa let out a small smile. This is what a home should be.

Safe

Sheltered

Carefree

Sansa sighed once more before nudging Rose forward. She had a schedule to keep. She had to find this hobbit hole before dark. She had begged Thorin to let her come on this quest. The last thing she wanted to do was be late.

_Any insubordination or irrational actions, Sansa, and I will send you back home to your parents, _she heard Thorin's words in her head. She would do anything and everything he asked of her. She needed to be on this quest. There was no question about that. This was the only way to find her brother.

Sansa's heart gave a clench as she thought of Sirion. Tears rushed to her eyes as her stomach gave a heave. She missed him beyond words could describe. Had it really been two years since she had seen him? Two long years since she had seen him and his men ride off into the forest. It was supposed to be normal three-day scouting mission. However, on the third day, the scouting party did not return. They did not return on the fourth day or the fifth day. Soon days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, and months turned into years. The dwarves in her village had presumed him dead, along with the five other dwarves in his company. Her mother and father seem to keep hope for awhile. Every evening for the first year, her mother would sit outside on their bench overlooking the village, hoping to catch a glimpse of her son returning home. However, her hope was futile. Her father had sat with his wife for the first eight months. After that, the gleam of hope seemed to vanish from his eyes. Sansa never saw him on that bench with her mother again. Instead, he started locking himself away in his smith working away at as many weapons he could. Soon enough, her mother stopped waiting. She had lost her faith as well.

Not only had Sansa's village lost hope for the missing dwarves, her parents had also.

But the young blonde dwarf knew her brother was still alive somewhere out there. She could still feel it. She could still feel him.

So she'd be damned if she gave up her hope as well.

"Excuse me, miss. But are you lost?" a small voice shook her out of her reverie.

Sansa glanced down from her pony to see a young hobbit girl with head of bouncing red curls. Sansa gave a smile and chuckle as she dismounted from her pony.

"Is it that obvious, little one?" She asked with another chuckle as she brushed some dirt off her black trousers. The young girl smiled and let out a giggle as her eyes gleamed up at the warrior before her.

"Only a wee bit," she replied with a grin that showed her two missing front teeth.

Sansa laugh as glanced around at her surroundings again. Multiple hobbit holes were before her, yet they were not the one she was searching for.

"I must look pretty clueless, huh?" the dwarf said.

"Only out of place. We don't get many dwarves crossing the shire," the young girl mentioned. Sansa nodded. Yes, she could imagine that the Shire was not used other beings other than their own, which most likely explained all the odd stares she was receiving from the locals. Her eyes darted down to the youngling before her, admiring her for having the courage to go up and speak to a complete stranger.

"You're different from the other two," the young girl continued. Sansa's eyebrows scrunched in confusion. _Other two?_

_Some of the company probably arrived already. _

"How so, my dear?" Sansa asked with a small smile.

The little hobbit giggled. " You're a girl dwarf!"

This earned a hearty laugh from the dwarf. "That I am. Thank you for noticing."

The little girl stepped closer to her to stand on her tip toes. She then reached up to touch one of Sansa's blonde braids. The dwarf smiled at her curiosity.

"You're too lovely to be boy dwarf," the little girl stated as she continued to fondle dwarf's braids. "Even though the other two the passed by were quite lovely in their own way," she continued.

Sansa let out a grin as she lowered herself to eye level with the hobbit. "Oh really? What did these two lovely dwarves look like?"

The youngling giggled as she put her hands behind her back and started twisting. "One had yellow hair and braids in his beard. He looked like a lion right out of Mr. Gandalf's stories. The other one had dark hair but no beard. But he was funny and nice. He told me I was beautiful," She answered as a blush rose up in her cheeks. Sansa smiled once again. So Fili and Kili were already here. The dwarf softly smiled at the description of her two childhood friends.

"And he was completely correct, milady," Sansa vocalized as she ran her gloved covered hand softly through the young girl's bouncing girls. "You rival the great Princess Annuble."

This caused the little hobbit's grin to become even wider. Sansa then stood up to full height as she realized the sun was starting to set. She needed to get back on track.

"You should probably get home for supper, little one. It will be dark soon," Sansa said softly as she started mount Rose.

The little hobbit nodded. She started to walk off before she stopped and turned right back around. "Mr. Baggins lives right around the corner in Bag End," she said as her little hand pointed forward to a small mass of green hills.

Sansa was about to ask how she knew who she was looking for. Then she remembered Fili and Kili passed not more than an hour ago. She then gave the young hobbit a smile. "Thank you, milady. Now hurry home, dear princess."

The hobbit gave another toothy grin before scurrying off to small cottage in the distance.

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><p>Sansa let out a small breath of relief when she rounded the corner to see a marked round door. <em>This must be it, <em>she thought herself. She quickly dismounted from Rose and tied her a nearby wooden fence. She pulled out an apple and gave it to the pony.

"Now you be a good girl," the dwarf humorously order as she stroked Rose's head. The pony gave a small snort in response. "That's what I thought," Sansa muttered with a soft smirk. She glanced up at the door as her stomach filled with butterflies.

"Just breathe, Sansa," she told herself as she swallowed down a bundle of nerves. This wasn't some small outing with her family, nor was it a simple scouting mission that her father occasionally sent her on. Not only was this the quest to reclaim her forefathers' homeland, it was also her last chance to find her brother.

The nervous dwarf let a breath as she ran her hand through her hair. She started towards the steps of the Baggins residence, her boots making smalls thumps below her. Or was that her heart beating its way out of her chest?

She stopped in front of the door, let out another shaky breath, and gave it a good knock.

The door swung open to reveal a very annoyed looking hobbit dressed in some kind of multi-color robe.

_Well, here goes nothing, _Sansa thought.

"Sansa, at your service."

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><p>Thank you so much for reading. I am very nervous about this story. Tolkien's world is always so hard to write. So please if you can, leave me some feedback :)<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you so much for the positive feedback! :)

Here is the next chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for Sansa and her family.

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><p>"Sansa, at your service," the female dwarf bowed as the hobbit's curious eyes took her in as if he were trying to determine if she was there for the same reason as the others.<p>

The hobbit let out a breath of frustration. There were already four dwarves in his home. What was one more? At least this one was lovely to look at.

"Bilbo Baggins, at yours," he responded with a sigh as he opened the door farther and moved aside to let her in. Sansa gave him a small smile and quickly stomped out the mud from the soles of her boots before stepping into the the hobbit's hole. Bilbo looked at her appreciatively as the other dwarves didn't bother to worry about tracking mud into his clean home.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Master Baggins," Sansa stated warmly as she stepped into Bag End. Bilbo gave her small smile in return. Sansa took off her cloak and unbuckled her sword from her waist. This place looked safe enough. There would be no need for her to stay armed. Bilbo took in the sight of the lass's sword. He was not used to female's carrying weapons, even if they were dwarves.

"Where shall I put this, Master Baggins?" Sansa asked gesturing to her cloak and weapon.

Bilbo raised his eyebrows. "Well, I can see you have more manners than the others already," he stated with a small grin as he held out his arms to take the items. Sansa laughed as she gave her sword and cloak to Bilbo. "This is your home after all," Sansa responded as she looked around. "And a lovely home it is indeed, very quaint," she added.

"Umm.. well thank you. Its been in the family for generations," Bilbo mentioned as he stood there quite nervously.

"It certainly has a cozy family feel to it," Sansa said taking in the carvings in the wood and various decorations and pictures that covered the walls. "It must all be very sacred to you, Master Hobbit."

The hobbit gave a sarcastic chuckle. "Yes, but that doesn't seem to matter," he stated with slight annoyance.

Sansa was about to ask what he meant when a playful voice called to her and her question was answered. Dwarves were not known to be the most subtle and well-mannered beings in Middle Earth, especially the one that was calling out her at the moment.

"Short one! I didn't know you would be gracing us with your presence on this quest."

Sansa turned around to see a taller beardless dwarf with a playful smile. Hell, he looked exactly the same as he did the last time she laid eyes upon him. Sansa gave a big grin as Kili came up to her and wrapped his leather-clad arms around her.

She gave a good a laugh as he lifted her off the ground. "How long has it been? Almost two years since years since we've seen your merry face?" He asked after he set her back down on her two feet. Sansa laughed nervously as she adjusted the vambraces on her arms that had twisted when Kili had picked her up.

Sansa thought about it. She hadn't seen Kili or his brother in a few years. After the disappearance of Sirion, she unintentionally cut out many people from her life. She stopped going to social gatherings. She ceased her visits to the taverns. Not only did she dedicate the last two years to searching for her missing brother, she became completely obsessed with it. Not that it did her any good.

"Yes, it has been," she answered as she pushed some stray hairs behind her ear. Her stomach twisted in guilt for shutting out her friends for that long. However, as she glanced up at the young prince, she did not see any malice or resentment in his kind eyes. For that she was grateful.

"I can see two years have not made you any taller, Milady Sansa," Kili said as he stepped forward to tower over her. Sansa rolled her eyes. Kili always bragged about his height.

Yes, he was tall...for a dwarf.

"And I can see even after two years, you still cannot grow a beard, Master Kili," she said as she crossed her arms over her chest while sporting a smirk. She could play this game as well. This seemed to knock the smile right off the the taller dwarf's face.

Heavy laughter came from behind Kili as a blonde dwarf approached to the two. " I see the you haven't lost your wicked wit, Sans," Fili said as his braided mustache turned upwards in a playful grin. Sansa's eyes sparkled as she looked up at the blonde dwarf before her. She tilted her head to side as she broke out into a smile.

"Did you really me expect me to? Someone has to keep the two of you blockheads on yer' toes," she responded with a chuckle.

Fili smiled down at his old friend. He then quickly pulled her into a strong hug. Sansa beamed as she wrapped her own arms around the prince. She buried her face into the furs of his coat as her heart gave a small leap. If there was one thing she loved in this world, it was being in Fili's embrace, not that she would ever admit to anybody.

The two dwarves pulled back and examined each other. Sansa took in how much Fili had matured over the past two years, unlike his younger brother who looked exactly the same. The older prince's hair had gotten longer. His shoulders had gotten broader. Sansa's heart gave a clench as she realized how much more handsome he had gotten. Of course, Fili was always handsome in her eyes. But somehow, he had gotten even more attractive over the years. _Mahal, I'm in trouble. _She internally scolded herself. She wasn't here to swoon over her friend like she did so many years ago. She was here to prove her worth, reclaim her homeland, and find Sirion. Childhood crushes would be left in the past.

"I see things are going to be picked up right where we left off," Kili said as he wrapped his arms around his brother and Sansa, a sly a smile gracing his cheeky face. This broke the two dwarves out of their reverie as a blush rose up in Sansa's cheeks. She quickly shook her head and stepped back from Fili.

_Love is for children, _she heard her father's stern words in her head. He had lectured her on that twenty years ago when Sirion let it slip to their father that Sansa had developed a small infatuation with the older prince. Her father laughed alongside her brother. However, he made sure that his daughter understood that there were far more important things in this world than love. He told her one day she would have to leave childhood fondnesses behind and take on her responsibilities.

Sansa let out a breath. For she was not a child. She was Sansa, daughter of Severin. Her father was the former captain of the guard in Erebor. She had her family's name to uphold and bring honor to. And by Durin's beard, she be damned if she'd let her silly female feelings hinder her mission.

"I can see that you still tend to speak through 'yer arse there, dear prince," Sansa stated as she moved forward into the Bilbo's dining area in search for an ale after a long journey. Her comment earned an honest chuckle out of the older prince.

Kili's pretty face broke into a scowl. "That is no way for a lady to speak," he called after her.

Sansa turned around with another smirk, her eyes simmering with mischief. "I never claimed to be a lady, did I, your Highness?" With that last comment she turned back around to greet Dwalin and Balin.

Fili then gave his brother a good smack in the back of the head. "Oye, what was that for?" The dark haired prince asked as he rubbed his head.

"You're not going to start with this again, " the older dwarf stated as he glared at his younger brother.

Kili smirked.

"Start with what?" He feigned with innocence.

"You know what I speak of, little brother," Fili responded in a hard voice, his eyes narrowing at the younger dwarf.

Kili smirked again. Of course, he knew what his older brother was talking about. He just wanted the older dwarf to admit it to himself.

Kili feigned a pause for a minute as he put one hand under chin as if he were contemplating life itself. "Oh! You mean how two years have passed and you still do not have the courage to tell our dear friend how you feel."

It was the older prince's turn to roll his eyes. He patted his brother on the back. "As the lass said, dear brother, you do tend to speak out of 'yer arse." He responded before following Sansa into Bilbo's dining room.

Kili huffed at his brother's comment and stubbornness. "And I thought Uncle Thorin was the hard-headed one in the family," he said to himself.

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><p>"Well well, Lassie, Thorin honestly gave your permission to accompany us on this merry 'ole quest?" Balin asked as he embraced the young dwarf before him. Sansa gave smile as she was about to answer. However, she was interrupted by the booming voice of Dwalin.<p>

"Never mind about Thorin, your father gave you his blessing?" He asked, unable to believe that a hard-boiled warrior dwarf like Severin gave his only daughter his blessing to go on a suicide quest such as this one, especially with what happened to his lad two years prior. Dwalin would think his former captain would not want to relinquish his hold on the only child he had left.

Sansa gave small smile as she placed her hand on Dwalin's shoulder, understanding the what the older dwarf had meant. "All my father spoke about while I was growing up was his life in the Mountain. How he missed the great halls, the sparkling gems, and his duty to the King," Sansa started. There was no greater honor for Severin, son of Samer, than serving and protecting Erebor. When Smaug attacked, he had lost that honor. He had started to fade everyday after that.

She saw it.

Her mother saw it.

And Sirion saw it.

Which is why she had to be on this quest with her kin. Sansa knew that Sirion saw the emotional demise in their father almost everyday. And her brother, being the tenacious dwarf that he was, set out on his own secret quest to bring the light back to their father's eyes. If only he had been honest with her and rest of the village about it.

"When I approached him with desire to be apart of this company, he had his doubts but I think he understood what I needed to do. I think deep down he wanted to come himself." Sansa continued as she let out a deep breath.

Dwalin simply nodded at her while Balin spoke, "I'm sure it was your mother that put up most of the fight."

Sansa smiled and laughed. "Aye, you are correct there, Master Balin. Before I even finished speaking about my request , she had me locked inside my room."

This earned a deep chuckle from the giant dwarven warrior. "How'd you manage to convince her then, lassie?" He asked as he brought his mug of ale up to his lips.

Guilt and regret made its way into Sansa's chest as she diverted her eyes to ground. "I didn't. I snuck out of my window that night."

She wasn't proud of herself. She didn't feel any gratification from deceiving her mother, the one dwarf that brought her into this world and cared for her all her life. No, Sansa was not pleased with herself at all.

Dwalin was about to respond when another knock came from the door, followed by an angered hobbit's voice.

"Oh no. No, no! There's nobody home. Go away, and bother somebody else. There's far too many dwarves in my dining room as it is. If- if- If this is some clotterd's idea of a joke, ha ha, I can only say, it is in very poor taste," yelled Bilbo as he marched towards his door.

The irritated hobbit opened the door as an entire heap of dwarves fell forward and into his home, rendering Bilbo speechless for a moment.

Sansa's eyes went wide and she let out a breath.

_Let the madness begin._

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><p>Thank you much for reading. I'm sorry for any mistake you may see.<p>

Please leave a review and let me know what you think of the story so far. :)


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